leviramsey Posted November 3, 2009 VT Supporter Share Posted November 3, 2009 wiki"] Ed Valenti and Barry Becher, founders of the Rhode Island based direct marketing agency Dial Media, found a set of knives made in Fremont, Ohio by the Douglas Quikut Division of Scott Fetzer. Originally called Eversharp, Valenti and Becher decided that they had to come up with a more alluring name before the product could become a true success and catch on in mainstream media. fter some discussion, they came up with the Japanese-sounding name "Ginsu". The first Ginsu commercials aired in 1978, it began with a dramatic voice over: “In Japan, the hand can be used like a knife” with a man in a white karate uniform splitting a stack of wooden boards with his hand. “But this method doesn’t work with a tomato;” the voice over continues and the scene changes to show a hand smashing a tomato into a pulpy mess; which is where the Ginsu knife came in. It could “cut through a nail, a tin can, and a radiator hose and still cut a tomato paper thin,” touting the knives' ability to stay razor sharp even after having been put to the test. These demonstrations coupled with the signature line “but wait, there’s more!” are seen as being one of the key moments in the development the modern day infomercial. The real challenges came in fitting a 20-25 minute product demonstration into a 2 minute time block and garner enough attention in the first few seconds to get the viewer to tune in and eventually purchase. Valenti and Becher’s first success with this method evolved from a conundrum Becher faced when having to paint his ceiling. Could this task be accomplished in a faster, easier, but smarter way? The answer was yes and came when Becher found an obscure paint pad which allowed him to paint his ceiling in “half the time of a paint brush” without the “mess or fuss.” Dubbing it the Miracle Painter, the pair immediately hit the airwaves catching people’s attention by showing a man painting his ceiling in a tuxedo. “Why is this man painting his ceiling in a tuxedo?” the spot asks – and answers with the product's no-drip ability. Viewers were then ‘called to action’ with such phrases as “you get this all for the incredible low price of…,” “Now how much would you pay?” as well as one of the most legendary and well-known phrases “But wait! There’s more” and then asked to call in to a toll-free 1-800 number where phone banks were ready to take their orders from the moment the spot aired to days, even weeks after it ran; even on a 24 hour basis. The sense of urgency that was created by being advised to “call now” and that “supplies are limited!” helped to sell between two and three million Ginsu sets between 1978 and 1984. "Ginsu has everything a great direct response commercial could have," said John Witek, author of "Response Television: Combat Advertising of the 1980s" and a marketing consultant. "Ginsu had humor, demonstration, and a precisely structured series of premium offers I call 'the lots-for-a-little approach.'" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
leviramsey Posted November 3, 2009 VT Supporter Share Posted November 3, 2009 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BillyShears Posted November 3, 2009 Share Posted November 3, 2009 So that's how Mike Oldfield did it Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BillyShears Posted November 5, 2009 Share Posted November 5, 2009 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CarewsEyebrowDesigner Posted November 5, 2009 Share Posted November 5, 2009 Bat Fight! Will Ferrell song, the ends brilliant..if you have a certain type of humour that is Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BOF Posted November 5, 2009 Moderator Share Posted November 5, 2009 8) The production makes it funnier Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BOF Posted November 5, 2009 Moderator Share Posted November 5, 2009 Could this be the gayest video on youtube? Aww man, I was in convulsions. I'm typing through the tears here. That was fantastic. This shit actually exists Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NulliSecundus Posted November 6, 2009 Share Posted November 6, 2009 8) The production makes it funnier Very good Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BOF Posted November 6, 2009 Moderator Share Posted November 6, 2009 That is genius, and I've just nicked it to share on FB Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BOF Posted November 6, 2009 Moderator Share Posted November 6, 2009 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
leviramsey Posted November 6, 2009 VT Supporter Share Posted November 6, 2009 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BOF Posted November 6, 2009 Moderator Share Posted November 6, 2009 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
leviramsey Posted November 7, 2009 VT Supporter Share Posted November 7, 2009 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
leviramsey Posted November 7, 2009 VT Supporter Share Posted November 7, 2009 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
slovenian Posted November 8, 2009 Share Posted November 8, 2009 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Xann Posted November 8, 2009 Share Posted November 8, 2009 DV8 Physical Theatre Not hilarious, but worth a watch. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rjw63 Posted November 8, 2009 Share Posted November 8, 2009 That team in orange were animals!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wol. Posted November 8, 2009 Share Posted November 8, 2009 That team in orange were animals!!! who is the number 15, Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PompeyVillan Posted November 8, 2009 Share Posted November 8, 2009 That team in orange were animals!!! who is the number 15, 'Kin hell. Arsenal were obviously playing at home at the time! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BillyShears Posted November 8, 2009 Share Posted November 8, 2009 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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